Sad-iron



, 2Sheets"Sheet 1. M. P. 8v J. H. POTTS.

SAD IRON.

I No. 506,252. Patented Oct. 10,1893.

NO'MOdeL 2 Sheets 'Sheet '2,

r M. F. 86 J. H. POTTS.

SAD IRON.

No. 506,252. Patented Oct. 10,1893.

UNITED STATES Enron].

' MARY POTTS AND JOSEPH H. POTTS, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS.

RON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,252, dated October 10, 1893.

Application filed June 24, 1892.

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MARY F. POTTS and JOSEPH H. POTTS, of Austin, county of Cook,

and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in the Construction of Sad- Irons, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the sad iron invented by Mary F. Potts and for which the original patent was granted April 4., 1871, No. 113,448. The said iron described in said patent has a handle which is detachably connected to the iron by a latching mechanism. The advantages of sad irons constructed as above described are greatly lessened by'certain defects in the construction which we will now describe. The use of a lubricant on the Wearing parts of these irons is impracticable on account of the heatingof them,hence thewear of such parts is very rapid, the handle becomes loose on the iron and causes not only a rattling noise very annoying to the user but also conveys a feeling of insecurity, as if the iron would fall off, and the iron is more difficult to guide in use. The breakage of these wooden handles is frequent and the user is often disappointed in that the new handle does not fit on account of the wear that has taken place on the irons by the use or from a misfit of the handle.

The object of our improvement is to remedy the above described defects of construction by applying to or constructing these sad irons with a take-up or adjusting mechanism that will compensate for the wear and want of uniformity of the several parts. As they are now constructed the wearing parts of these sad irons are immovable and fixed as to the position occupied by them and are without means of regulating the fit of the handle to the irons or the irons to the handle. To remedy these defects we so construct one of the parts subject to Wear as to render it capable of adjustment whereby any number of handles constructed on the same general principle may be fitted to a single iron, while any number of irons constructed upon the same general principle may be fitted to a single handle either when first used or after con tinued use whereby wear on the parts has changed their original form. We prefer to employ as a means for adjusting the parts of the iron with reference to each other a sliding Serial No. 437,899. (No model.)

wedge which is particularly illustrated in Figs. 1, 4, and 7, of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the means for attaching and detachingthe handle to and from the iron. view of an iron with the handle removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the handle. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the handle. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views, the former in sectional elevation and the latter in plan, showing a modified construction wherein the sliding wedge is applied to the iron instead of to the handle. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the wedge as employed in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive; and Fig.

8 is a detail view of the wedge as applied to the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The firm attachment of the handleAto the iron E is produced by the spring f pressing down the latch lever 0 against the cross bar d and drawing the handle forward until the inclined side of the hooked jaw D is brought against the cross bar d; then by the continued action of the spring f, latch lever O and jaw D, the handle is drawn down and held firmly in the recesses h, h, h, hon top of the iron E. If by a misfit or wear by use of the above described parts the latch lever can descend and seat itself and not draw upon the cross bar (1 the iron will rattle and shake on the handle and no means by which the user can tighten the handle upon the iron have heretofore been provided. The taking up of this looseness at any wearing part of the iron or handle sufficiently to prevent the seating of the latch lever C will tighten up all looseness and the handle will be firm.

To lessen the cost of applying an adjusting mechanism to the handle we take up the wear on the plate B of the handle A by means of a movable wedge N held in position by the can be adj ustedby moving the wedge to fit the irons and by the application of this adjusting mechanism a number of irons can be fitted to one handle.

Instead of applying the wedge to the ban- Fig. 2 is a plan 7 dle it may be connected with the iron as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which N represents a wedge of slightly different construction from that previously described, said wedge being shown in Fig. 8 and having a slot n to receive the set screw J which has a threaded engagement with the top plate of the iron.

We prefer to apply the adjusting device to the handle, but as above shown it may be conveniently applied to the iron and the particular position of the wedge and its construction may be still further varied, the gist of the invention being as hereinafter pointed out in the claims, a means for adjusting the parts of the iron comprising an adjustable wedge which is applied between the body and the handle and which is adapted to be readjusted and to be fixed in its adjusted position.

\Ve claim 1. The combination with asad iron having a detachable handle and latching mechanism substantially as herein shown and described, of means for adjusting the parts of the iron whereby to compensate for wear or imperfect construction, said means comprising an adj ustable wedge applied between the body and the handle and adapted to be readjusted as wear progresses and to be fixed in the adjusted position.

2. In a sad iron having a body and a detachable handle and asuitable latching mechanism for connecting the handle to the body, of means for securing contact of the interlocked parts, said means comprising an adjustable wedge carried by the handle member and adapted to be thrust into contact with the body, substantially as described.

MARY F. POTTS. JOSEPH I-I. POTTS. l/Vitnesses:

(J. O. LINTI-IICUM, N. M. BOND. 

